Hey, I came across your website
and thought you might be able to help me....I grew up in Muncie and my folks
still live there , so I am very familiar with the Ball name.

On the front page of your site ,
there are three jars in a row. The one on the right is the one I am
searching for. I am trying to match two that I already have. They
measure 10" tall.....4 1/4" wide on all sides......clear with rounded
corners like the one in the picture. I would appreciate any assistance
you can give me in finding two more of thes

Glad your parents had a sense of
humor. I taught school for many years and had a James Bond and he went by
James. Luckily he inherited his parents humor. My question: I have
several Ball jars with glass lids, several of these, the wire attachment is
all the way around the top of the jar and is twisted with a rectangular
metal piece that the lid wire is hooked into, instead of the the wire going
into the glass. They all say Ball Ideal I didn't see any of these on your
web site- do you have any info that you can share with me. By the way your
website is great. I live in Indiana about 45 miles from Muncie. Thank you,
Linda

hi my name is lance i work
construction i worked on an old county bridge project and found a jar about
20' down it is an ball it has 619-5D ITHINK IT IS THE LETTER D I THOUGHT
AT FIRST IT WAS O AND IT HAS #8 BELOW WHERE IT SAYS BALL AND BELLOW THAT IS
THE LETTER C16. IT IS ABOUT 4" TALL& 2: ROUND. IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAD A
PRESSED ON LID ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED THANK YOU .

I have a large Ball Jar (looks
about the size of a grease jar) (it has a screw on red lid), the jar has a
pattern on it which is a basket weave and is tole painted with flowers.I
have searched and searched for a similar jar but I just can not find
anything like it.

I know considering it is a screw
on that it's not antique, but it looks like it may be from the 40's(?)

Do you know of any ball jars like
the one I describe? any help would be greatly appreciated.

Your website is terrific.
I looked at it because I have a series of 4, graduated sizes, turquoise blue
Ball jars, with an American eagle on the side opposite from the "Ball"
side. The lids of 2 of them have broken (one only five minutes ago - I'm
crushed - a friend broke it) and I'm longing to replace the lids. They're
held on by the wires - not screwtops. The eagle is topped by a star and
inside a vertical oval.
Anyway, would you have extra blue lids that you'd be willing to sell? Any
broken jars at your house?

Many many thanks for any advice,
and best wishes for your collection - Elizabeth Wise

I have a Ball Ideal Jar that is
very green and has a seal on the opposite side of the word Ball that has an
eagle like the one on the presidential seal and one star above it. It has
the wire closure. I hope I am describing it correctly. It sort of looks
like this

My husband and I found a small
jar at an old home place, today. I have never seen one like it, and was
wondering if you might have any info about it....it is approximately 2
inches tall, with the #'s 204-3, then 3 1/8 Ball oz., then underneath that
H-3...it has a cork with a wire sticking out of it. the seam goes all the
way up the neck of the bottle, it has a rolled top. Looks kind of like an
ink bottle, but not sure...can you give me any idea what it is?

My name is Andy McGlothlin and I
live in Kingsport, TN. My Great Aunt died a few years back and I was one of
her last relatives so naturally I got a few things from the estate.
Included was two very large boxes of Ball/Mason Jars of clear and blue
color. I really have no place to keep these and I was wondering if you
might have any advice as to how I could move the entire lot without having
to sell them one by one.

I was wondering if you have ever
heard of a 1 and 1/2 pint ball wide mouth jar. They are tall like a quart
but are skinny like a pint jar. They hold 3 cups (obviously). I have not
been able to find any information, pictures, or anything about the jar. Can
you tell me a little about them? Any idea where I could find any?

I
HAVE A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY FRANK CLAYTON BALL. I AM ATTACHING
PHOTOS. I HAVE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS WORTH. I WANT TO PUT IT ON
EBAY IF I DON'T FIND SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO BUY IT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT
MIGHT BE WORTH?

I came across your site and found
it very interesting and informative. I can only assume that you are
extremely busy but I've run into a dead end on a jar I have and wanted to
find out approximately when it was made. I doubt it's worth much, but I am
trying to tie the age of the jar with some events in the area where I found
it. I haven't seen a Ball jar like it so I'm not sure where to go to find
information. The only thing I have is a picture (please see attached).

Any help would be greatly
appreciated. It's 8.25" tall, 4" wide and about 3" deep. The color
appears to be clear to somewhat smokey. I haven't cleaned it, as I was
trying to determine what was in it (it appears to be coffee grounds).

If you know anything or know
where I can go to find pictures or information, I would really appreciate
it.

Your web site is very
interesting. I had no idea there were so many old jars available.

I have recently acquired 9 Ball
jelly jars, 6 ounce size. On the bottom it says "Ball Quilted Crystal Jelly
Jar". There is a "3" under the word Ball, and a "5" under the word Jelly.
The diameter is about 2 1/2 inches. I am having trouble finding lids and
rings to fit these in-between size jars. The regular lids are a little too
large.

I'm not sure where to start but I
have a lot of ball jars and was wondering if there is a book of prices and
or listing of their value? I graduated from Ball state a few years ago and
love the history of the ball jar. I would love to see how much these jars a
worth.

I recently was helping my wife
clean out her motherís home soon after her death and came across several
antique items including what seems to be a 5 gal (?) Mason Jar. I see
several like it on your website, but this one has the inscription ďMASONíS
PATENT NOV. 30TH, 1858Ē across the front with a star under the word Mason.
On the opposite side is a very large eagle.

I just received two bell jars
today. They have a zinc lids and have the #5 on the bottom. Could you
please tell me about them?

Noreen Joynt

Sun 9/14/2008 6:23 PM

I just wrote to you and gave you
some mis-information. I said the inscription said Gertrude Boyd cap. It
actually says Genuine Boyd cap. The cap with the flat top also has Ball on
top. The green jar says Ball Perfect Mason.

I purchases two Ball jars at an
antique shop recently. They both have metal caps. One is slightly raised
in the middle. The other is flat. Both have white glass on the inside. In
the glass is the inscription Gertrude Boyd Cap. (This is what I think it
says). One jar is green and the other is clear. Iím interested in the age
if these caps. These will be a gift to my daughter and I want to tell her
something about them.

I recently found a bottle with a
small ďBallĒ trademark on it. It was similar in shape to a whisky bottle
and itís size was 4/5ths. The neck was smooth and appears to have used a
cork for the lid. Was wondering if it might be old? Thanks, Larry Busby

I want to use the qt. wide-mouth
glass jars with the plastic lid. Can you still get the rings to seal them
better? If so where?

Sun 8/17/2008 10:56 AM

I have a Ball canning jar without
the printed word mason on it. Was this made by Ball? I know very little
about canning jars, although my grandmother canned exclusively when I was
growing up on the farm in Pennsylvania.

I stumbled onto your site while
trying to gather information about Ball Jars. I am a Mould Engineer with
Saint-Gobain Containers, formerly Ball Corporation. I started collecting
glass shortly before I found employment with SGCI oddly enough and my
interest has recently focused on the history of our company.

I was wondering where I could get
some information on the best way to purchase Ball jars and where to learn
about them.

I have attached a couple of
photos of a memorial erected for Edmund Ball by his family. If you like
(and when I have the time) I can send other photos of some of the Ball
mansions, one of which Saint-Gobain uses one as a guest house. Our
headquarters is located in a refurbished building from the grounds of the
Muncie plant. I will see about getting some shots there also.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom
you could impart on me about Ball Jars.

I'm hoping this is the correct
sight to help me out with a problem i am having with the ball jars ..I've
purchased ball jars to do my canning this year also the Ball canner and rack
. I've been canning tomatoes and cucumbers. the first attempt with the
tomatoes i had a jar break the bottom broke and had tomatoes all in the pot
.Then the second attempt I didn't put the jars into boiling water bath i
just put them in hot water and then let the water boil which made my canning
time longer but that seemed like a good idea. well pop went another jar
bottom broke out and i use the ball rack. now just today i canned cucumbers
same idea didn't put the jars in boiling water just hot water after fifteen
mins. of boiling i saw a jar floating and seasoning floating . can you tell
me what I should do to prevent this happening since so far its been every
time I can I jar breaks thank for your help for this is getting
frustrating Joan Mueller

I have a Ball "jar" that I
haven't been able to find any info on. I hope you can help. It is a one pint
wine flask with a metal screw on cap. The bottom of the flask says Ball (in
the classic cursive style) Wine (in capital block letters. Under that is the
number 70016, and off to the right is the number 2. The front of the flask
and al around the top has a lovely raised decoration depicting grapes on the
vine. On the bottom of the back side are the words ONE PINT. The flask has a
metal screw top lid with a five pointed star with a bunch of grapes in the
middle, and the words San Antonio Wine Co. Inc.

across the top, and WINE on
the bottom. The lid also has its original paper liner.

What a wonderful site and what a great job you have
done to gain peoples and collectors interest in Ball Jars. I have always
had a thing for jars but now it seems I am looking for them now even more
and more. I found a 1858 Mason last weekend at the flea market for $2 w/
Zinc lid.

My name is Arthur and I am retired and a collector
of soda bottles. I do a lot of diving and have accumulated quite a few
older Ball jars and your site is very good. I am sending you this pictured
of 1 of 150 jars that I have. I would like to know about how old. It looks
like the top has been grinded how can I tell Thanks again

i am from Israel, and believe it or not i have never heard of ball fruit
jars company in my life.

last week my grandfather passed away, and in his home we found a lot of old
stuff including a ball jar.
trying to figure out the details on this lovely jars i cams across your
site.

so here is a picture of my jar. it is a large one, clear glass not collored]
eclipse wide mouth. it has the number 3 on it. it is not new, that i know
for sure, and i have no idea how it got here since as far as i know they
don't sell it here at all. my guess is that it was sent here in the first
years of this country from the stats since in those days the situation here
was bad and relatives from the states sent parcels with food. but that is
just a guess now.

so what ever information you can give me on my jar i will be thankful.
efrat markovitz.

My husband has some Ball Jars
that he would like to use but can't find the rubber rings. The following
information is printed on the jars: Ball, Ideal, and the letter "g". Pat'd
July 14, 1908. Is it possible to find the rubber rings for these old jars?
He thinks they would need about a 3" to 3-1/8" ring.

hi my name is mike and I came
across a ball jar that is about 18and one half tall and about 30in around
with a mouth opening of about 4 inches that says ball ideal on one side and
has an eagle and a star on the other side what i am looking for is the lid
for it it looks like it is the type with a wire because it says wire side on
top any help would be great you can email me at
michaeltl@centurytel.net and
once again thank you for any help

hi I wanted to know if you be interested in looking
at some pics of old mason jars and porcelain lids that I have? I have been
trying to get some info but find it hard to get an idea of what i have.
thanks for you time I also ultimately wish to sell these if they are deemed
collectible.

Let me
introduce myself I am the husband of the author of "Granny Kath's Kitchen"
the longest running jar column to date. Vivian died in 1999 and I'm in the
process of selling our collection which was over 900 jars I still have 627
left, over 200 are Ball jars. The PDF file is a current list if you're
interested in any or all contact me and we'll see what we can do.

Specifics - I'm at a total loss
and stumbled across your website about Ball jars, see that you know quite a
bit about this so am asking. We have found an old Ball jar but it is NOT a
fruit or canning jar. There is part of a label on it that seems to say
'Hickory Barbeque Sauce' although all that's showing is 'Hickory', 'Bar' and
'Sa'. There are several numbers on the bottom but I cannot find any place
to find more information. I've spent the last 3 hours looking at Ball jars
on websites all over the internet and have not found anything that even
resembles this one. It still has the cap although rusted beyond any hope of
seeing anything.

The bottle has mold line down
both sides, can't see top to tell if mold line runs all way to top. This
lid probably screws on. Here are 2 composite pics:

Yesterday, we found another
bottle that we can positively date between 1898 and 1906 due to several
factors. This one was laying within a few inches of it.

I've spent all morning
researching the internet here on how to figure out what a mason jar is or
may be worth.

Kind of a long story- my
fiancť's mother passed last fall and we recently went through all of the
items- one was a mason jar found in the family farmhouse basement with a
1907 dated letter (sister who was on a steamship to Chicago writing a letter
begging her sister to leave a terrible marriage- which is another story- I'm
trying to locate any descendants to share this letter with)

I'm hoping that maybe you
could help me figure out the type of jar, and if it has value.

I'm a glass artist (stained
and fused glass art) and am almost positive this jar has been blown into
some type of mold - then top ground.

It's a very pretty aqua color
with bubbles (of course) anyhow- as you can imagine- my fiancť's siblings
are curious as to the

value- it's so complicated to
find this on the internet- any help or suggestions would be really
gratefully appreciated.

I really LOVED looking at your
collection and appreciate you sharing- years ago when I did art shows, I
had folks giving me all sorts of bottles and glass that they had dug up from
outhouses on the Olympic

Peninsula- Glass is magical
(been working in the medium since the age of 12)

I found your website while doing
research on ball jars. I have been purchasing ball jars thru the years, but
never really started learning the history until recently. Your website was
very helpful---thank you!

I am interested in purchasing one
of your jars that you have for sale---in particular, one of the Mason's
Patent Nov. 30th 1858. I noticed that you have quite a few for sale---would
you recommend one over the other? I was looking at the one for 34.99--but
noticed that you have others which are cheaper. Are these jars very
different?

Today, I visited your web
site and absolutely loved it. I am into collecting not just Ball jars, but
other ones as well.

I was in an antique shop the
other day in Tea, SD. I bought a box of 12 Ball jars; 5 had red plastic
lids; 6 had green plastic lids; and one had a clear plastic lid. The lids
are unusual in that they have no threads to screw onto the jar; they have 4

tab-like protrusions to glide
onto the threads on the Ball jar. The jar threads are also unusual. It is
not the standard jar threads; they are evenly spaced at the top of the jar,
not graduated as normal threads are. The lids also have a built in rubber
seal. The jar that I'm looking at right now has one of the red lids;
embossed on the bottom of the jar is the number 351-12; also the number 23A;
and the word Ball is a 3-L loop with undropped "a". The jar's dimensions
are 2-3/4" ID and the height is 3-3/4" tall.

Could you tell me if you've ever
seen any Ball jars like this? The vendor I purchased the jars from seemed
to think they are jelly jars. I've just never any like these.

Dear Bruce: I haven't written you before but just
merely stumbled across your site. In cleaning out shed at my mothers home
I found two large Crisco glass jars........both have their lids. The jars
appear in excellent condition. One lid is in great condition and is very
readable. The other lid is not so good but some of it is readable. One of
the jars has a date on it of 1928. Could you possibly tell me how I can
find out the value of these jars if there is one? Thanks so much. You can
email me back here.

I grew up in Muncie, Indiana and
one of the "Ball" family grandchildren (Marilyn) was a classmate of mine and
now lives in Barington, Illinois. My mother canned products with Ball Jars
and I still have some of her jars which I would like to sell.

I realize some of them are
worthless, but I have some that might have some value. i.e. two green jars
(including wire glass tops) (one quart and one pint) that have Patent July
14, 1908.

I have several that have the
heavy grooves on the bottom. (Ideal #9(2), and Ideal#12). I have 11 others
which I don't think have value.

Can you give me an Idea of what
price I should be asking for the ones with value ?

I made my first antique purchase
this weekend that just so happens to be a giant (and I mean giant) ball
jar. It's a flip top and its about 2 feet tall. It has an eagle emblem on
the back. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me anything
about it. Thanks!

I recently picked up some jars
for canning and there are some blue/ green tinted jars. The jars have nicks
in the tops and I canít use them. If your interested and willing pay
shipping I will gladly ship them too you.

After doing some more research
on canning jars I went and pulled the jars back out of the recycle bin.
This is what they are 6 of the quart blue/green with no lids. 9 Pint jars
with wires, 6 with blue green and the others are clear. Two have no
markings on them at all so I donítí think they are Ball jars. There are
six glass lids for the wire jars.

The blue/green quart jars seem
to have been manufactured sometime between 1930 and 1960.

I have a large box full (don't
know how many) of Ball Jars which probably date back to about WWII, although
maybe not that old. They are square in shape, probably hold about a pint or
a bit more, say Ball Ideal on the front, and appear to have a very small 600
on the top. Concentric circular rings on the bottom, but no lettering.
Near the top (on the round part), is printed "wire side".

Some questions if you are
willing to help me: Are thse worth anything? Would you want them? If not,
any suggestions as to how to sell.

I really really need to find the
Ball Mason half-pint, wide-mouth, clear little jars with goldtone closures
(lid and screw on rims). They look like little ice cream bowls with flowers
printed on the lid and decorative embossing on the jars.

I have gotten them for years from
Stater Bros. grocery stores, but I understand they have been discontinued.

If you have any cases, or if you
know where I might find them, please let me know.

I have a one half gallon jar that
I would like to know more about. It is a dark color, possibly dark amber.
On the bottom is wrote Ball and the number L104-64. There is nothing on the
sides except it says one half gallon. It has a small handle at the top big
enough for one finger to go through. I have no lid for it. It does need to
be cleaned up. Do you have any information on this jar such as the year it
was made and the value, if any? Thanks, Regina

I was looking through some items
of my Grandmothers and found some jars. I got on the net to see if I could
find something out about them. That is when I found your website. I thought
maybe if I attached some pictures someone might be able to tell me a little
more about them.

Hi, Iím a junior jar collector I
do a lot of home canning and started to notice a few unusual ones and
decided to check them out. Now Iím hooked, but with little time and less
budget to collect.

I came across one that I canít
find in Red Book # 9. Iíll try to describe it.

Front has a block letter JG above
and a script, italic, underlined, sloping uphill to the right Mason.

Reverse has a vertical oval about
3 Ĺ inches high with a scalloped edge, cut in half horizontally, bottom is a
large fireplace with a large kettle hanging over the fire, top has a candle
lantern with glass globe sitting on the fireplace mantle and there is a
shield with maybe a coat of arms hanging above the mantle.. It has a smooth
lip and Mason beaded neck seal, base has a mould # 28. No other markings on
jar. The shape of the jar is very modern softly rounded square and the jar
looks brand new.

Good afternoon. I recently found
my grandfather's collection of jars while cleaning out my mom's garage. My
granddad spent many years digging up old jars and finding "gems". I have a
jar here that is light green. It is a round half gallon. On the front it
says MASON'S PATENT 1858. On the back it has a word written in fancy
script...It looks like Gort?? Have you any idea what I have here? I've
searched and couldn't find reference to one with the fancy script word on
the back.

Going through all of these
bottles and jars has been like a treasure hunt! I've had an absolute blast
doing it!!

I collect many things, not jars.
Looked at your web site for some ideas on age as a curiosity.

Recently purchased another old
house. When they have an outhouse out back, and the property comes with
contents, I get excited. Of course I tell the folks that it will cost me
close to ten thousand dollars to haul off the junk. In reality, I will
enjoy going through most of it. Primarily primitives.

In the cellar, the outhouse, the
garage, the chicken coop, in piles outside are thousands of pieces of
glass. Some are blue, most are clear. (A few are brown or green, not many)
Some of the gallon jugs have corks.

Personally I do not collect jars,
but did bring a few home because they looked different to me. I donít know
the difference between ss, centered embossing or anything.

But this one had a number 26 on
the bottom, had more bubbles than usual, so here is a picture for you. If
you want to see some other jars of randomness, I can take more.

I have a Ball sun tea jar and was
thrilled when my husband found it. However, I am not as happy because when I
opened the refrigerator recently, I found that the whole 2 gallon jug had
emptied into our refrigerator. We would like to know if there is any way to
re-seal the spout or if it can be replaced.

I recently inherited all the
stuff in my grandmothers house. In the basement was hundreds of canning
jars. Some still full of stuff from the 50's. Anyway I found a box of ball
freezer jars with zinc lids. They are about 7 1/2 inches tall. There is 11
of them 10 have lids. Are these of any value. I only asked cause they are so
different from the others. Thanks Lane

Hi I
actually got a link to your site from someone who used to work for ball. I
sent her this email in regards to getting info. Please let me know if you
can help me date this ball item.

I was wondering if you could tell me if there is a way to identify an
approximate year of production of a Ball Corp. bottle. I found this bottle
in an area of Brooklyn NY that is on the beach. This area was used by New
York City as a dumping Ground for used glass and china. It is now a National
park and a boat marina. While catching Crabs one night I came across a large
Brown bottle It is 4/5 quart with the ďBallĒ logo on the bottom in script
along with a few a few numbers 75 53 D23 . I know New York City dumped all
waste glass there from the late 1800ís to the early 1920ís. That doesnít
mean someone didnít dump it there later but I have been crabbing there for
20

Today I was walking out in the
woods and found a pint whiskey bottle made by Ball. The back of bottle has
"Federal Law Forbid Sale or Re-use of This Bottle". The front has "One
Pint" and the bottom has "Ball, F10, 172-64, and D23".

I can not find anything that
states Ball made whiskey bottles. Do I have anything worth while.

Going through Mom's jars we found
several of interest we have glass Ball lids, Drey jars, boxes of zinc lids
in their original boxes, some Ball where the lettering is barely visible,
Presto with glass seal & zinc lid with a bowtie shape cut out some zinc lids
with porcelen inside that says genuine zinc cap for ball mason jars. Awide
variety of different styles of Ball writing some jars have the hand twisted
wire closures. alot of jars they seem to be about 2 quart or larger with
zinc lids. Please let me know if there is any history on them I've
downloaded some info from your site as well as others. Thank you Lorie

Under contributed photo's you
show a ball jar with a lead cap and a rubber seal. I have someone who has
been looking for those rubber seals for a long time and can not find them.
Can you tell me a site where they can be bought or how I might obtain them.

While looking in my cabinets
today for something, I ran across my Ball canning jar collection - not very
large but I like them. I then thought of looking on the internet for some
additional info on them. The question I have been trying to find a decent
answer to is what the numbers on the bottom represent. Some of the jars I
have have the number with a slash (on the top of the number or below ?) and
some of the numbers with the slash on the top i.e. with the number 2 - 5
look as if they are printed backwards. At any rate they just don't look
like normal numbers as you would see them. Any ideas on reference books I
could look at to figure this out. I am running out of space in my kitchen
and was contemplating selling them to a collector or giving to daughter and
daughter-in-law for keepsakes. Who knows what they would do with them so
prefer a person who would appreciate them to have them for their
collection. Anyway, have a great day and any help would be appreciated.
Thank you

I have an odd request-I'm working
for Harcourt School Publishers on an Indiana social studies textbook. We're
trying to find a photo of the old Ball factory in Muncie, IN-but since that
seems to be impossible to find, we're thinking of possibly using just some
photos of old jars instead. I'm writing to see if you'd be interested in
having us publish a photo or two of your jars in the book. We can pay a
usage fee, so if you're willing, let me know and I'll show some of your pics
to my editors and we'll go from there. If you have any questions, feel free
to contact me.

I am interested in purchasing
ball jars. Do you have any large ones that could be used to serve things?

Thanks,
Nancy Williams

I'm interested in the ball jars with
the dropped "a" and the underscore is disconnected if you have any
available. Would like 2 if you have any and was wanting to know a price and
pic's if you have any. Thanks